Way of the Cross

The following prayers were excerpted from the text written by then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in 2005. Unable to attend the service due to his failing health, John Paul II watched via television from his private chapel and sent a message to participants: “I also offer my sufferings so that God’s plan may be completed and his Word spread among the peoples. I, in turn, am close to all who are tried by suffering at this time. I pray for each one of them.”